Put a knot in it....quickly!

Now I've seen this my knotting technique has shifted forever!
Check out this quick tutorial to see this tip..

Happy sewing!

Alli
x

Embroidered portrait

Stitching a portrait, this time for a friend, weighed the task down with more responsibility. Would she like it?

Getting other eyes to look at my stitching always helps and they make useful suggestions.

I was so pleased with this piece that I wanted to keep it!

Initial sketch

Stretched & ready for framing

A close up!

Sublime Stitching - Flamingoes

I have this fab little transfer embroidery book, Sublime Stitching craft pad by Jenny Hart which I used to o make a little something  last summer. The images transfer onto the fabric, so it was a case of repeating the image and then I stitched some curly waves underneath the 'lingos. I think it’s a cushion cover in waiting….

The palest one on the right has slipped on some sea weed!

We were on holiday, hence the flamingo theme. I deliberately stitched the flamingoes in lighter shades of pink, as the flamingo colouring naturally lightens.

 

Vintage dog embroidery

In October, with aching hands, I had a go at embroidery – it was wobbly, but I enjoyed giving this vintage pattern an update with some lovely embroidery stitches. He’s unfinished, but may one day be complete!

I found the pattern here at Livin Vintage

Embroidery - stitching portraits

I’ve been using photos for inspiration for embroidery portraits. This one is of my daughter when she was at playgroup. I enlarged the image, used tracing paper to draw the key elements that I want to stitch, transfered the image onto fabric and then played/stitched.

Using a variety of thicknesses of thread leads to shading, re-creating pencil lines and hanging the threads symbolizes the idea that the picture, the subject, lives on.

I am super proud of these trainers!

There are lots of artists doing this kind of work and spent my birthday money on a book by Rosie James  Stitch Draw: Design and Technique for Figurative Stitching

Applique textile picture - for Teddy

Well the gorgeous Teddy got his 'welcome new baby' picture at the ripe old age of 4 months old! I really enjoyed making this picture and thought I'd share the process with you, if you are interested in trying something like it your self.

The skills/materials used are:
- machine applique
- stash of fabrics - I've got plenty!
- using invisible stitching
- hand embroidery
- using 'doublesided' Bondaweb - holds fabric securely in place while you stitch around it
- fabric ink
- letter stamping kit - I use this one loads

1) The main picture of the elephant came from a Selvedge Magazine flyer. I drew the image to scale and then cut out each individual piece as a pattern piece. I choose my fabrics and attached Bondaweb to each piece, drew around the pattern piece and then ironed the pieces on to the elephant.

Ready for attaching to main fabric

2) I stitched the elephant to the main fabric using invisible stitch - taught to me by Quliter Dawn Cameron-Dicks. Here's the image from the reverse side.

3) I then added the other fabric pieces, which are only attached with Bondaweb, as the image is going to live behind glass, so did not need to be ultra secure.

4) Next I added some hand embroidery, using a range of stitches and matching tones. The picture was completed by the addition of flowers, circles cut from a gorgeous piece of fabric, which made the composition pleasing to my eye!

The only completed picture I have is a bit blurry....

Cute sewing kits - Nancy Nicholson

The embroidery obsession in this house is still in full swing.

Copyright Nancy Nicholson

Check out these gorgeous sewing kits on the artist Nancy Nicholson's website. Hettie's cat one arrived in the post today - it's lush!

Will show you the finished piece when stitched!

Alli x

Sparkly seed bead gift

What is 'Sparkle Friday'? It's one of those things that you do with a friend and it sticks. Picture Paula and myself in the infant school playground (many years ago), every Friday wearing sparkly eye-liner, for no reason what so ever than to be sparkly. So when Paula had a special birthday recently I got to work on this gift.

I got the frame from IKEA and made the message fit the gap! I stitched the words using a free-machine technique, having transferred the image in reverse on the back of the fabric. A tiny needle, tiny seed beads and some simple embroidery stitches and here you have it!

Here's to Sparkle Friday & a smashing birthday to Paula xxx

Shoes and storytelling 5 - free-machine embroidery shoe!

Still playing with shoes....this time fabric coverings.

Felt inspired to play on the sewing machine and stitched out some patterns.

I had probelms with the stitching, but I like the effcet on the reverse, wrong side..

I cut the fabric larger than the pattern and with the power of super glue, constructed a stitched slipper for the story trail display.

Fishy embroidery gift...

Here's the latest piece of embroidery I made while we were on holiday - a bit of hand sewing kept me close to my need to sew while away from my sewing machine!

The Embroidery bug!

While 2012 Olympic fever has filled the house, my 10 year old and I have caught the embroidery bug! I bought a lovely book called Doodle Stitching by Aimee Ray. 

I set my daughter the task of creating a sample of all the stitches, shown in the front of the book.

Progress was good...some frustration too!

Once she completed the apprenticeship, she was away, tracing the motifs and marking them on the white fabric.

Here's what she did..

The green duckling was a creation from Lace Club,
run by a teacher my daughter's school.

I also got involved in the bug and made an elephant - soon to be properly framed.

Luckily for us, my mum was visiting and she organised the stray and messy threads! Thanks mum x

Now our neighbour has returned from holiday she is now creating a sample of stitches, the embroidery bug is infectious!